ADR BLOG

Andy May, licensed loan officer (103418), has helped hundreds of families relocate to Raleigh, North Carolina. While stressful, this list helps alleviate much of the burden when finding the perfect home for your family. The first thing to do is plan. I know, some people are already stressed when they hear that word. But you can enjoy the entire process if you view this as an adventure.

The number one thing to do is to draw an acceptable radius around your future place of work. Say 15 minutes around your work location should do it (remember, Raleigh isn't like San Francisco - you won't have a lot of public transit options and you'll think 15 minutes is a long commute after you've lived here a while). From there, go to wakegov.com and start to see what other people have paid for their homes in the neighborhoods you are interested in purchasing. Data is aggregated by street address and illustrates what homes were purchased for, within the property records section.

If you are looking to rent, look at crime statistics at theFBIfederal government website. Most websites on the net are derived from this data. So, here's the actual data to review.

By now the relocation model is starting to form?Irene Higginson, Allen Tate Realtor, has for years been involved with placing families in great schools through their selection of neighborhood. Irene states, "Each family has different needs for their family education and a great resource is ADRMortgage.com.School Test Scorescan be found at ADRmortgage.com and this serves as a great data warehouse for families to better understand their local schools".

Job, Crime, Schools, what's next? Simple. Access to biking, hiking, boating, arts, shopping, and entertainment. Check out these top 5 things to do when in Raleigh:1. Visit art museums. If downtown, CAM Raleigh - the Contemporary Art Museum, is an excellent place to expand ones mind. Located at 409 W. Martin Street Raleigh 919 513 0496.

2. Go to a Canes game. The Carolina Hurricanes host 44 home games a year starting generally in early October. The Canes play at PNC Arena.

3. Go to the North Carolina Museum of Art located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 919 839 6262. If one can't make it to the Musee d' Orsay (in Paris) then this is the next best thing. It rivals any American Museum for its' architectural beauty, layout, and works of art. This is a must visit, and if one lives in Raleigh and hasn't visited this museum, what a missed opportunity. Some facts (provided by Wikipedia) - 127,000 square feet, built in 2010 the building itself cost $72.3 million, 164 acre park features artwork and trails, and the museum collection is ridiculously off the hook.

4. The Museum of Natural Sciences - located at 11 W. Jones St Raleigh. This is another work of art. A 345,000 square foot architectural wonder, with literally every conceivable interesting cool thing in the world for inquisitive minds. School age children to adults love and adore this wonderful State asset. Another absolute must-see.

5. Ok I'm not a golfer, but I'm going to throw into item 5, 3 important activities (for those that are active). Best golf courses in the State - North Ridge Country Club (these are exsquisitely maintained and always the best fairways and greens in the State; Raleigh Racquet Club - the best tennis facility hosting all kinds of kids programs and an elite stable of highly ranked players; Falls Lakebiking- this is a 14 mile water-ride. Bikers have ample room to maneuver around walkers, hikers, bikers, etc. Clearly a leisurely wonderful ride along the Falls River (think flat) that anyone from novice to intermediate would enjoy. Fun for the whole family - with a parking lot located on the corner of Pleasant Union Church Road and Falls of Neuse. This is called the Upper Neuse River Greenway and it provides a majestic ride.

Anthony Powell, an avid bike rider said, "I was blown away by the amount of infrastructure that has been put into the Upper Neuse River Greenway and I can't wait until they expand the final section into Johnston County".

So, when deciding where to live in the myriad Raleigh communities, look for excellent access toschools, roads, and things to do.

Get the most value out of a home sale or purchase by working with licensed professionals that have significant experience. ADRMortgage.com was founded by Andy May in 2005. For additional information please go tohttp://www.adrmortgage.comor contact Andy May directly. License number 103418.

American Dream Residential - is the DBA (Doing Business As) for Andy May Group, LLC in the State of North Carolina and Virginia. NATIONAL MORTGAGE LICENSING SYSTEM universal mortgage ID: 88010. Andrew Walter May, licensed loan officer - I103418. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org (Nationwide Multistate Licensing System) will show current loan officers for Andy May Group, LLC. Licensed by the North Carolina Commisioner of Banks - License Number B-148020 and the Virginia SCC Bureau of Financial Institutions.